Welcome to our first monthly e-newsletter. We are excited to share with you information about events, acquisitions, and general news about the Clements Library. We hope you enjoy.

The William L. Clements Library

FEBRUARY 2017 NEWSLETTER

Upcoming Events and Lectures

At the Cutting Edge: Michigan in 1817

Founder's Day Lecture

William L. Clements Library

April 4, 2017 4:00 - 5:30PM

When the University of Michigan was founded in 1817, much of the Michigan Territory was still in the hands of Native American nations. Euro-American settlement was found only in the Southeast and at the Straits of Mackinac. The formal surveying of Michigan would not begin for another year. And, only five years earlier, Detroit and Mackinac had been captured and occupied by the British during the War of 1812.

Brian Dunnigan, Curator of Maps, will describe what the territory of Michigan was like when U-M first opened its doors to scholars. Using images of original maps, art, architecture, and letters from the amazing collections at the Clements Library, he will transport you back to the Michigan of 200 years ago.

A: "It's another way of preserving history, important history. Specifically in regard to the Clements Library, a lot of the things were things written by people who used to work here. A huge chunk of the books we have are written by the former president of the Library. It's not just history of America, but it's also history of the Library itself, which is really cool to see."

Clements Exhibits

Visit the Library on Fridays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM to view current exhibits on display. The exhibits are open and free to the public.

Out of the Ordinary: Gems and Oddities

Where can you see an ostrich egg collected in the 1800s, a 1787 map of the Western Hemisphere engraved and printed by Armenian monks, and a miniature photo album from 1870?

The Clements Library, of course! The Library has been in collecting mode for Americana almost non-stop since it opened in 1923, and many unusual or extraordinary objects have found a home within its walls. W
e invite you to peruse a few of the oddball items that have turned up in a great library.

1790 Detroit Map - On Display

Visit the Library from now through March to see the map on display. Read a piece from the Detroit Free Press featuring the newly acquired, rare hand-drawn 1790 map of Detroit here.

Other Exhibits featuring the Clements Library

The Art and Science of Healing: From Antiquity to the Renaissance

February 10 - April 30, 2017

This exhibition, hosted by the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and the University of Michigan Library, explores the early history of Western medicine as illustrated by a broad selection of archaeological artifacts, papyri, medieval manuscripts, and early printed books.

The Clements Library's 12th century manuscript of
Epitoma rei militaris by Flavius Vegetius Renatus will be on display.

The
Epitoma rei militaris (or "De Re Militari") is a 4th century work by Vegetius on Roman military principles and methods. The book influenced European military tactics during the Middle Ages. Pre-Columbian manuscripts like the De Re Militari are atypical in libraries of early Americana. Its presence at the Clements Library results from its donation as part of the extraordinary Hubert S. Smith Naval Collection.

The
Epitoma rei militaris can be viewed online
here, and at
the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. The entire exhibition is on display at the University of Michigan Hatcher Library, Audubon Room and the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.